Service type: Education and Care Service
Total roll: 52
Crackerjax Early Learning Centre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO’s findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Crackerjax is a privately-owned, stand-alone early learning centre in Green Island, Dunedin. It is a purpose-built centre providing education and care in a mixed-age setting for up to 42 children, including up to 10 under two year olds. Children from three months to school age attend. The centre is open five days a week from 8.00am until 5.30pm. Most children attending live in the local community.
The centre is run by an owner/manager and a head teacher. The ratio of teachers to children is high. There is a mix of experienced and in-training teachers.
The philosophy states that teachers will provide:
an inclusive, caring and stimulating environment that nurtures children’s social and emotional wellbeing
a place where children have fun and learn through play.
The desired learning outcomes stated in the philosophy are that children will learn to take care of themselves, others and the centre, play well with and alongside others, become independent and interdependent, and understand and respect New Zealand’s bicultural heritage.
Leaders and teachers have made good progress in addressing the recommendations from the 2016 ERO report. Some aspects are works in progress and identified as next steps in this report.
Children benefit from warm, caring and respectful relationships. They settle quickly on arrival and are at ease with each other and their teachers. Key teachers assigned to individuals promote children’s security and sense of belonging. Children play well alongside and with each other, developing friendships over time. Centre leaders demonstrate care for the whole family and endeavour to ensure all children have equitable access to learning opportunities.
Children take part in a wide range of learning experiences. Teachers purposefully set up the environment with activities of varying complexity to provide for, and engage, a wide age range of children. Early literacy, mathematics, social and emotional competence, and physical play are key focus areas of the curriculum. Children with additional needs are very well supported and included in the life of the centre. Teachers plan well to support individual children to transition into, through and out of the centre. Māori concepts are evident in the day-to-day programmes. Children under two years are well cared for with age-appropriate resources, close teacher attention and positive relationships with older children (tuakana-teina).
Teachers’ assessment, planning and evaluation is high quality and well supported by leaders’ feedback to teachers. Profile books show increasing complexity in children’s learning, and strategies teachers have used to support this. Teachers seek parents’ aspirations and wishes for their child and actively respond to these. They regularly evaluate children’s progress and the effectiveness of the programmes and teaching strategies they have used.
A range of effective internal evaluation systems and practices result in positive, well-informed change. All staff critically reflect on the effectiveness of their own practice and contribute to wider topics under review.
Centre leaders regularly reflect on how well children are nurtured and supported to learn. High expectations and a focus on ongoing improvement are evident. They have:
developed comprehensive policies, procedures and guidelines that contribute to the smooth operation of the centre
ensured strong alignment between centre priorities, professional development, appraisal inquiries and internal evaluation
built amongst the staff, a culture of trust and collaboration
supported teachers to upskill and more consistently meet their high expectations.
The philosophy and strategic plan need to be reviewed and refined to reflect current priorities and the future direction of the centre.
Aspects of group planning need to be strengthened so that best practice becomes common practice.
It is timely for teachers to review more closely how well their interactions and activities foster children’s independence and maximise their learning.
Before the review, the staff and management of Crackerjax Early Learning Centre completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children’s wellbeing:
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Southern
Southern Region
9 July 2019
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children’s wellbeing and learning.
Location | Dunedin | ||
Ministry of Education profile number | 45462 | ||
Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
Number licensed for | 42 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 | ||
Service roll | 57 | ||
Gender composition | Boys 29, Girls 28 | ||
Ethnic composition | Māori | 4 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers | 80% + | ||
Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:3 | Better than minimum requirements |
Over 2 | 1:7 | Better than minimum requirements | |
Review team on site | May 2019 | ||
Date of this report | 9 July 2019 | ||
Most recent ERO reports
| Education Review | June 2016 | |
Education Review | March 2013 |
ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.
ERO’s findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Crackerjax Early Learning Centre is a small, privately-owned centre. It provides full-day care and education for up to 42 children from birth-to-school age in a mixed-age setting.
The leadership team is made up of the owner and manager. Other teachers have leadership roles in the daily running of the centre. There has been stable staffing since ERO’s last review in 2013.
Leaders and teachers have made progress in the areas identified at the time of the previous ERO review. This review recommends the leaders continue to strengthen these developments.
Children and their families have a strong sense of belonging to Crackerjax. Teachers provide many interesting experiences and activities that are responsive to the children’s home lives and the wider community. Children and teachers make regular visits within the community, including to the local schools. Children are very settled and confident in the centre.
There are positive and warm friendships between the children. Teachers support children to develop social and independence skills, for example, how to be a good friend. Older children are caring and helpful towards younger children.
Teachers are intentional in the way they support children’s learning. Children benefit from purposeful programmes that are interesting and varied. This includes learning:
about baking, gardening and a variety of vegetables
through enjoyable small group experiences and routines
early mathematics and literacy through their play.
Children have opportunities to hear and use te reo Māori through singing waiata and hearing legends. Teachers are respectful of tikanga Māori in their practices throughout the centre for all children.
Teachers effectively support the learning and wellbeing of infants and toddlers. They:
have nurturing and caring relationships with the children
work with parents as they settle their children into the centre
make caregiving an integral part of learning
foster learning by using appropriate strategies that are appropriate to the needs of each infant.
Leaders and teachers have developed common understandings of what the centre’s philosophy looks like in practice. The philosophy will more usefully guide teaching when it has a greater focus on what are considered the centre’s specific, valued learning outcomes. Leaders are yet to evaluate the effectiveness of practices and programmes in meeting the philosophy.
Teachers consistently use the centre’s framework for group and individual planning. They gather the perspectives of children and the parents’ wishes when planning for children’s learning. In the best examples of children’s records, teachers show how these are responded to. Elements of best assessment practice are evident in children’s records. Teachers now need to ensure all records consistently show all elements of effective assessment, planning and evaluation. This includes, but is not limited to, clearly showing:
how teachers and parents together develop next steps for children’s learning
the experiences and strategies planned to support learning
children’s progress over time
how teachers value and respond to children’s cultural and social backgrounds.
Teachers sensitively work with children who need additional help with their learning. Transitions into the centre and on to school are carefully planned for all children.
Centre leaders are committed to ongoing improvement. This is evident in the:
identification of centre-wide development priorities
purposeful professional learning and development for all staff
inclusion of goals in each teacher’s appraisal that align with the centre development priorities.
Leaders recognise the need to align evaluation with this planning.
Although the leaders have identified development priorities within their strategic plan, there are no actions documented to show how the priorities will be met.
Leaders have worked on building their understanding of evaluation and developments coming from the evaluation findings.
Centre leaders need to continue to strengthen and refine:
the centre philosophy to include the centre’s valued learning outcomes
assessment, planning and evaluation for children’s learning
aspects of evaluation (self review) including the development of an evaluative question and indicators to guide the investigative focus
the strategic plan.
Before the review, the staff and management of Crackerjax Early Learning Centre completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
governance, management and administration.
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children’s wellbeing:
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children’s health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
When is ERO likely to review the service again?
The next ERO review of Crackerjax Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Chris Rowe
Deputy Chief Review Officer Southern (Acting)
3 June 2016
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children’s wellbeing and learning.
Location | Dunedin | ||
Ministry of Education profile number | 45462 | ||
Licence type | Education & Care Service | ||
Licensed under | Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 | ||
Number licensed for | 42 children, including up to 10 aged under 2 | ||
Service roll | 65 | ||
Gender composition | Girls: 35 Boys: 30 | ||
Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā Cook Island Other | 9 50 4 2 | |
Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+ Based on funding rates | 80% + | ||
Reported ratios of staff to children | Under 2 | 1:3 | Better than minimum requirements |
Over 2 | 1:7 | Better than minimum requirements | |
Review team on site | April 2016 | ||
Date of this report | 3 June 2016 | ||
Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review | December 2013 |
ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
Not well placed – The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.